OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – An Osceola County deputy was arrested on a domestic violence charge early Sunday, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies said they arrested Michael Keating, a 14-year Osceola deputy, around 3:15 a.m. after they investigated a domestic disturbance in St. Cloud between Keating and his girlfriend.
Osceola Sheriff Russ Gibson said Sunday afternoon that a similar allegation was made against Keating in 2016 while he was in Brevard County with the same woman. Gibson said a charge was filed following that incident, but the victim did not want to press charges, so she refused to cooperate during the investigation. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office conducted an internal investigation following that incident, Gibson said.
Keating was booked into the Osceola County Jail Sunday morning, where he was being held without bail on one count of battery, deputies said.
Gibson said the case was being turned over to State Attorney Aramis Ayala's office to determine if prosecution is warranted.
The Sheriff's Office said an administrative investigation will be conducted to find out if any policies were violated.
Keating has been put on administrative leave without pay, Gibson said.
No other details were available. Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on this developing story.